Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for textile processors.
A checklist built from how textile processors work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Grey receipt and lot booking
- Lab dip and recipe library
- Machine batches by lot
- Metres in and out by stage
- Inspection, rework and re-dye
- Dyes, chemicals and utilities
- Delivery note and process statement
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- Owner or general manager
- Marketing and customer service
- Dye master and laboratory
- Machine supervisors
- Inspection and dispatch
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Lots in house by customer and stage
- Metres in and out with shrinkage by lot
- Re-dye and rework by cause
- Machine batches and utilisation
- Dye and chemical use per kilogram of cloth
- Dip approvals pending by customer
- Process billing by customer and rate
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- Accounting export
- Dosing and dispensing system data
- Machine controller exports
- Barcode or label printer
- SMS or messaging for lot status
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Is it for the owner of the cloth or for the processor?
- Can it store dye recipes?
- How does it show shrinkage?
- How are batches tied to lots?
- Can it cost rework?
- Does it handle printing as well?
- Can we bring our current lots in?
- Who owns the process data?
- How is it priced?
- Is it heavy for a small dye house?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Grey lots arrive without a plan
- Recipes are held by the dye master
- Shrinkage and loss are argued
- Re-dye and rework are not costed
- Machine batches are not tied to lots
Prefer to talk it through? See the textile processors page.